Each year 40 people are killed and at least 20,000 injured in bicycle accidents (in Sweden). It is known that every third bicyclist who is injured in an accident suffers from head injuries. The most efficient protection against severe skull injuries is considered to be the use of a helmet when biking. International studies show that the bicycle helmet decreases the injuries with at least 60%. 40% of the people being killed in bicycle accidents would have survived if a helmet was used.
Despite the alarming statistics on accidents, most people choose to bike without helmet.
The largest use area for bikes in Sweden is not sport activities but every day use. In spite of this, all bike helmets today look sporty. It is obvious that the bike helmet is in the need of a proper facelift.
The helmets of today are molded and mostly produced in EPS (expanded polystyrene) or EPU (expanded polyurethane).
The design of the helmets of today has some drawbacks. They do not protect the jaw, the back of the head, the neck and/or ears in case of a collision with a sharp object. Furthermore, they do not absorb the force of the collision in an optimal manner since both the cover and the body of the helmet is made of an inelastic hard material. Even if the head is not injured, there may be severe brain damages.
In addition, the helmets of today are bulky and unpractical to bring with you when not biking. It is difficult to fasten the helmet on the bike and they are cumbersome to carry along during e.g. shopping.
During the cold period of the year, it is difficult to wear the helmet together with a cap or the like and it is too cold to wear the helmet without the cap, since the material of the helmet is both hard and cold.
Moreover, the bike helmet is considered geeky and unflattering.
A modern airbag system in a car consists of an electronic control unit (ECU) and one or several airbag modules, such as frontal airbags, side-impact airbags, etc. The electronic control unit is usually located in the center of the car. Micro Sensors continuously supervise the acceleration and retardation of the vehicle and transmits the information to a microprocessor, which stores a crash algorithm—or the “crash-impulse”. The parameters of the algorithm are adjusted and optimized for each car model. The parameters are determined in crash tests, which are performed in a test center. Many vehicles also have remote sensors located in the doors for controlling the side-impact airbags and remote sensors in the front to discover accidents in good time. When the microprocessor identifies a crash impulse from the sensors, an electric signal is sent to an initiator (a so called squib) in the inflator of the airbag to be inflated. Capacitors in the ECU are used as reserve energy, in case the main battery of the vehicle should be put out of order during the crash. A security function prevents the airbag from being unintentionally released by a mobile telephone or other electromagnetic disturbance.
The airbag module consists of an inflator with an initiator, a textile bag (cushion), a housing and, for the driver airbag, a cover for the steering wheel. The most common type of inflator uses solid fuel, such as pellets, whereas a so-called hybrid generator uses a combination of compromised gas and solid fuel. The textile bag is made of nylon and is folded in a specific way to make it unfold fast and safely. It has vent holes on the back, to assure a soft landing for passengers into the airbag. The housing is generally made of steel, but housings made of strong and lightweight plastics have also been used. It is forced to open by the pressure from the inflated airbag. The cover has a split line, which makes it open at low pressure. The airbag is fully inflated in 20-30 ms.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,469 discloses a protective apparel for motorcycle riders and the like comprising an airbag system. In the event of an accident, when the motorcyclist is thrown off the motorcycle, the airbag system is inflated and covers the body of the rider within half a second. The apparel is coupled through an umbilical cord to a container of gas, with a much shorter pull cord being coupled between the rider and the valve of the container to rapidly inflate the apparel on separation of the rider from the motorcycle prior to separation of the umbilical cord. The apparel may be in the form of a jacket which includes a pleated hoodlike portion normally folded and resting under the jacket collar, and a pleated lower portion so that, during inflation, the hood will expand upward and then forward around the top and sides of the head, and the lower portion will inflate and expand downward below the knees.
WO 01/054523 discloses an airbag system, also used in the field of motorcycles, where a rigid neck part comprises inflatable cushions to protect respectively, the neck and back and the chest along with an inflatable balloon for surrounding the head, which balloon is open in front. The airbag system is activated by pulling a contact connected by a wire.
DE19754541 also discloses an airbag system for motorcycles, wherein the airbag system is ring-shaped.
Furthermore, an airbag system used by skiers is known. When a person is buried in the mass of snow from an avalanche a fight against time starts. The rescue process is facilitated by use of an airbag, which skiers and snowboarders carry as a backpack. The airbag is inflated within 3-4 seconds when the skier pulls a string in case of an avalanche. The size of the skier is increased by the airbag and the chances to stay at the top of the avalanche increases. Since the airbag is orange it is also easier to detect the victim in the snow.
The devices of prior art could be made to be effective, protective devices if regularly used. However, because of their general unwieldy appearance, their cumbersome characteristics and inconvenient character in putting them on and taking them off, such protective garments are not currently being used.
Another disadvantage with prior art is that the devices are inflated by pulling a wire or the like. Accordingly, there is a need for a protective apparel which can be made in a stylish and user-friendly form, is as easy to put on and take off as a scarf, is inflated in case of an abnormal movement without having to pull a wire or the like and yet which will provide protection similar or better than prior art helmets. A helmet unlike everything that exists on the market needs to be developed, an ergonomic, handy helmet that meets all necessary safety demands, while being easy to bring along after you have parked your bike.